It shall be unlawful for any person to place, deposit or permit
to be deposited, in any unsanitary manner, on public or private property
within the Borough of Somerville or in any area under the jurisdiction
of said Borough of Somerville, any human or animal excrement, garbage
or other objectionable waste.
It shall be unlawful to discharge to any natural outlet within
the Borough of Somerville or in any area under the jurisdiction of
said Borough of Somerville any sewage or other polluted waters except
where suitable treatment has been provided in accordance with subsequent
provisions of this chapter and the laws of the State of New Jersey.
It shall be unlawful to construct or maintain any privy, privy
vault, septic tank, cesspool or other such facility intended or used
for the disposal of sewage.
No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any stormwater,
surface water, groundwater, roof runoff, subsurface drainage, swimming
pool or pond water, cooling water or unpolluted industrial process
waters to any sanitary sewer.
Stormwater and all other unpolluted drainage shall be discharged
to such sewers as are specifically designated as storm sewers or to
a natural outlet approved by the Borough Engineer. Industrial cooling
waters or unpolluted process waters may be discharged, on approval
of the Engineer, to a storm sewer or natural outlet.
A. The following discharges are prohibited:
(1) Any unpolluted waters, such as stormwater, groundwater, roof runoff,
subsurface drainage or cooling water.
(2) Any liquid or vapor having a temperature higher than that stipulated
hereinafter.
(3) Any water or waste which may contain soluble oil or grease or any
water containing floatable fats, oils, greases or other substance
that will solidify or become viscous at normal climatic conditions
or impair the operation of the Authority's system.
(4) Any gasoline, benzine, naphtha, fuel oil, motor oil, mineral spirits,
commercial solvent or other flammable or explosive liquid, solid or
gas.
(5) Any water or wastes that contain hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide
or nitrous oxide in quantities higher than that stipulated hereinafter.
(6) Any ashes, cinders, sand, mud, straw, shavings, metal, glass, rags,
feathers, offal, plastics, wood, paunch manure, hair and fleshings,
entrails, lime residues, beer or distillery slops, chemical residues,
paint or ink residues, cannery waste, bulk solids, unshredded garbage,
antibiotic wastes, free mineral acid, concentrated pickling wastes
or plating solutions or any other solid or viscous substance capable
of causing obstruction to the flow or other interference with the
proper operation of the Authority's system.
(7) Any water or wastes containing toxic or poisonous substances in such
concentrations as to constitute a hazard to humans or animals, interfere
with any sewage treatment process or create any hazard in the receiving
waters of the sewage treatment plant.
(8) Wastes which will cause corrosive structural damage to the system.
(9) Any waters containing suspended solids of such character and quantity
that unusual provision, attention or expense is required to handle
such materials at the sewage treatment plant.
(10)
Any noxious or malodorous gas or substance capable of creating
a public nuisance or hazard to life of preventing entry into sewers
for their maintenance, inspection and repair.
(11)
Any waters containing quantities of radium, naturally occurring
or artificially produced radioisotopes in excess of presently existing
or subsequently accepted limits for drinking water as established
by the National Committee on Radiation Protection and Measurement.
(12)
Any concentrated dye wastes, spent tanning solutions or other
wastes which are highly colored or wastes which are of unusual volume,
concentration of solids or composition that may create obstruction
to the flow in sewers or other interference with the proper operation
of the system or the quality of the effluent from the system.
B. Concentrations and characteristics.
(1) The following fixed upper limits of acceptable quantity (concentration)
and characteristics of material shall apply:
(a)
Concentrations.
Item
|
Maximum Concentration
(milligrams per liter)
|
---|
Acetylene generation sludge
|
None
|
Arsenic
|
0.5
|
Barium
|
4.0
|
Cadmium
|
0.2
|
Chrome (total)
|
0.5
|
Copper
|
2.0
|
Cyanides
|
1.0
|
Grease and soluble oils
|
25.0
|
Hydrogen sulfide
|
10.0
|
Iron (total)
|
5.0
|
Lead
|
0.5
|
Mercury
|
0.01
|
Mineral acid (free)
|
None
|
Nickel
|
2.0
|
Nitrous oxide
|
10.1
|
Oils, mineral
|
15.0
|
Phenols
|
2.0
|
Phosphorous
|
10.0
|
Selenium
|
0.05
|
Silver
|
0.5
|
Sodium azide
|
None
|
Sulfur dioxide
|
10.0
|
Zinc
|
2.0
|
(b)
Characteristics.
[1]
Maximum temperature: one hundred ten degrees Fahrenheit (110°
F.).
[2]
Allowable range of pH: five point five (5.5) to nine point zero
(9.0).
[3]
Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), five-day maximum: three hundred
fifty (350) parts per million.
[4]
Maximum suspended solids: three hundred fifty (350) parts per
million.
[5]
Color: two hundred (200) co.-pt. units.
(2) The above-listed concentrations and characteristics may be altered
by the Authority as required by regulatory agencies, treatment or
reuse requirements or in the event of cumulative overload of the system.
A. Effluent limitations promulgated by the Federal Act shall apply in
any instance where they are more stringent than those stipulated in
this chapter. Under Section 307(b) of the Act, federal pretreatment
standards are designed to achieve two (2) purposes: to protect the
operations of publicly owned treatment works and to prevent the discharge
of pollutants which pass through such works inadequately treated.
B. Industrial dischargers subject to effluent guidelines issued under
Section 304(b) of the Act that are discharging pollutants to the Authority's
system which are beyond the limits stated herein and beyond the treatment
capability of the installed treatment facility are required to adopt
the best practicable control technology currently available, as defined
by the Administrator, pursuant to Section 304(b) of the Act.
The admission into the system of any water or wastes having
a five-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5)
in excess of three hundred fifty (350) parts per million by weight
on a twenty-four-hour-composite basis or for any grab sample having
a five-day BOD in excess of five hundred (500) milligrams per liter
will be subject to review by the Authority. Where necessary in the
opinion of the Authority, the owner shall provide and operate, at
his own expense, such pretreatment as may be required to reduce the
biochemical oxygen demand to meet the above requirements.
The admission into the system of any waters or wastes having
a suspended solids content in excess of three hundred fifty (350)
parts per million by weight on a twenty-four-hour-composite basis
or for any grab sample having a suspended solids content in excess
of five hundred (500) milligrams per liter will be subject to review
by the Authority.
No washings from vehicles of any type shall be admitted to the
sanitary sewer system except through a silt basin of suitable size,
properly protected by a grating and trapped, from which the deposits
shall be removed by hand as often as may be required by the Borough
Engineer. All plans for such silt basins shall be approved by the
Borough Engineer and Health Officer.
A. If any waters or wastes are discharged or are proposed to be discharged to the public sewers, which waters contain the substances or possess the characteristics enumerated in §
140-27 of this Article and which, in the judgment of the Borough Engineer, may have a deleterious effect upon the sewage works, processes, equipment or receiving waters, or which otherwise create a hazard to life or constitute a public nuisance, the Borough Engineer may:
(2) Require pretreatment to an acceptable condition for discharge to
the public sewers.
(3) Require control over the quantities and rates of discharge.
(4) Require payment to cover the added cost of handling and treating the wastes not covered by existing charges under the provisions of §
140-43 of this Article.
B. Where necessary, the owner of the premises served shall provide at
his expense such preliminary treatment as may be necessary, as determined
by the Borough Engineer, to reduce the quality and quantity of such
waste to these limits. Plans, specifications and any other pertinent
information relating to proposed preliminary treatment facilities
shall be submitted for the approval of the Borough Engineer, Health
Officer and of the Department of Environmental Protection of the State
of New Jersey, and no construction of such facilities shall be commenced
until said approvals are obtained in writing.
Where preliminary treatment facilities are provided for any
water or wastes, they shall be maintained continuously in satisfactory
and effective operation by the owner of the premises served at his
expense.
Where necessary, in the opinion of the Borough Engineer, the
owner of any building sewer carrying industrial waste shall install
a suitable control manhole in the building sewer to facilitate observation,
sampling and measurement of the wastes. Such manholes, when required,
shall be accessible and safely located and shall be constructed in
accordance with plans approved by the Borough Engineer. The manhole
shall be installed by the owner of the premises served at his own
expense and shall be maintained by him so as to be safe and accessible
at all times.
All measurements, tests and analyses of the characteristics of waters and wastes to which reference is made in §
140-27 and
140-32 shall be made in accordance with the latest edition of Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Sewage and shall be determined at the control manhole provided for in §
140-34 or upon suitable samples taken at said control manhole. In the event that no special manhole has been required, the control manhole shall be considered to be the nearest downstream manhole in the public sewer to the point at which the building sewer is connected. Sampling shall be carried out by customarily accepted methods to reflect the effect of constituents upon the sewerage works and to determine the existence of hazards to life, limb and property. The particular analysis involved will determine whether a twenty-four-hour composite of all outfalls of a premises is appropriate or whether a grab sample or samples should be taken. Normally, but not always, BOD and suspended solids analyses are obtained from twenty-four-hour composites of all outfalls, whereas pH's are determined from periodic grab samples.
Any approval by the Plumbing Inspector or the Engineer of a
type, kind or capacity of an installation shall not relieve a person
of the responsibility of revamping, enlarging or otherwise modifying
such installation to accomplish an intended purpose, nor shall any
fixed or verbal agreement as to limits of constituents or volumes
of waters or wastes be considered as final approval for continuing
operation. These limits will be subject to constant study and change
as considered necessary to serve their intended purpose.
The accidental discharge of any prohibited liquid or material
into any sewer or natural outlet, either directly or indirectly, shall
be reported to the Plumbing Inspector or the Engineer immediately
by the owner, person or industry responsible for the discharge. Although
no penalty, as such, will be levied as a result of such accidental
discharge, the owner, person or industry shall not be relieved of
its responsibilities and shall be liable for any expense, loss or
damage occasioned the borough by reason of such accidental discharge.
A. The owner, person or industry discharging wastewaters having concentrations
or characteristics prohibited by this chapter shall provide the Plumbing
Inspector or the Engineer with a series of analyses, not less than
five (5) in number, taken on twenty-four-hour-composite samples, containing
the results of the concentrations or characteristics in question.
B. Such a series of analyses shall be required for each quarter of one
(1) calendar year following violation. The flow for each day during
the sampling period and the average quarterly flow of the discharge
shall be included with the submission of the analyses. The twenty-four-hour-composite
samples shall be obtained on normal operating days.
C. The Plumbing Inspector or the Engineer may request split samples
and may from time to time require access to manholes for sampling
purposes. Any discrepancies found in the results submitted shall be
treated in accordance with penalties described hereinafter and the
concentrations determined by the Plumbing Inspector or the Engineer
will be the concentrations of record for that quarter.
A. All information and data on a user obtained from reports, questionnaires,
connection application, monitoring programs and inspections shall
be available to the public or other governmental agency without restriction,
unless the user specifically requests and is able to demonstrate to
the satisfaction of the Plumbing Inspector or the Engineer that the
release of such information would divulge information, processes or
methods which would be detrimental to the user's competitive
position.
B. When requested by the person furnishing a report, the portions of
a report which might disclose trade secrets or secret processes shall
not be made available for inspection by the public but shall be made
available to governmental agencies for use in making studies; provided,
however, that such portions of a report shall be available for use
by the state or any state agency in judicial review or enforcement
proceedings involving the person furnishing the report. Wastewater
constituents and characteristics will not be recognized as confidential
information.
C. Information accepted by the Plumbing Inspector or the Engineer as
confidential shall not be transmitted to any governmental agency or
to the general public until and unless prior and adequate notification
is given to the user.
A cost recovery charge for federal grants shall be assessed
against all industrial waste contributors discharging industrial wastes
into the sewer system. All charges for industrial cost recovery shall
be computed, levied and collected in accordance with the provisions
of Title II of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments
of 1972 (P.L. 92-500, 33 U.S.C. § 1251 et seq.) and any
amendments thereto and in accordance with the rules, regulations and
procedures of the Environmental Protection Agency, Section 35.928-1
and Section 35.935-13, and any amendments, additions and supplements
thereto and thereof.
A. In addition to any penalties which may be imposed upon any person
who violates any provision of this chapter where the Plumbing Inspector
or the Engineer finds that a discharge of wastewater has taken place
in violation of this chapter, the Plumbing Inspector or the Engineer
may issue an order to cease and desist and may direct those persons
not complying with this chapter to:
(2) Comply in accordance with a time schedule established by the Plumbing
Inspector or the Engineer; or
(3) Take appropriate remedial or preventive action in the event of a
threatened violation.
B. When the Plumbing Inspector or the Engineer finds that a discharge
of wastewater has been taking place in violation of prohibitions or
limitations prescribed in this chapter or wastewater source control
requirements, effluent limitations or pretreatment standards, the
Plumbing Inspector or the Engineer may require that person to submit
for approval, with such modifications as he deems necessary, a detailed
time schedule of specific actions which shall be taken in order to
prevent or correct a violation of requirements.
C. Any person affected by the decision, action or determination, including
cease and desist orders, made by the Plumbing Inspector or the Engineer,
interpreting or implementing the provisions of this chapter or in
any permit issued herein, may file with the Plumbing Inspector or
the Engineer a written request for reconsideration within ten (10)
days of such decision, action or determination, setting forth in detail
the facts supporting the request for reconsideration.
D. Discharge of wastewater in any manner in violation of this chapter
or of any order issued by the Plumbing Inspector or the Engineer,
as authorized by this chapter, is hereby declared a public nuisance
and shall be corrected or abated as directed by the Plumbing Inspector
or the Engineer.
E. The Plumbing Inspector or the Engineer may terminate or cause to
be terminated wastewater service to any premises if a violation of
any provisions of this chapter is found to exist or if a discharge
of wastewater causes or threatens to cause a condition of contamination,
pollution or nuisance as defined in this chapter. This provision is
in addition to any other statutes, rules or regulations authorizing
termination of service.
The maintenance of the entire length of the building sewer,
whether constructed by the borough or otherwise, and the building
drain shall be the responsibility of the owner of the property served.
No statement contained in this Article shall be construed as
preventing any special agreement or arrangement between the borough
and any industrial concern whereby an industrial waste of unusual
strength or character may be accepted by the borough for treatment
at an additional charge, provided that the borough has been advised
in writing by a qualified consulting sanitary engineer retained by
the borough at the expense of the industrial applicant that the industrial
waste of the applicant can be adequately treated by the then-existing
sewage treatment plant and at what additional cost to the applicant
for the treatment.